Love’s Whirlpool (2014)

In a fancy split-level condo in Tokyo’s Roppongi nightlife district, four women and four men gather from midnight to 5 am. They’ve all paid to be there (men more than women), and they have only one thing in common–they seek anonymous sex. Using no names, they’re known only by their types: freeter (temp or part-time worker), mild-mannered salaryman, duplicitous OL (office lady), self-conscious working class factory worker, perfectionist teacher, veteran pervert, shy NEET (“not in education, employment or training”) and bashful college student. Together, they unravel their identities in a night of increasing debauchery. Daisuke Miura’s adaptation of his critically acclaimed 2005 play of the same name explores Japan’s fuzoku (sex industry) with depth, humor and freewheeling indecency. This surprising, erotic and disturbing film features breakout performances by Sosuke Ikematsu and Mugi Kadowaki, who are tempted to mix love with sex.